Breaking Waves: Ocean News

01/08/2025 - 17:00
In new paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, leading researchers to propose action to protect kids Children are suffering and dying from diseases that emerging scientific research has linked to chemical exposures, findings that require urgent revamping of laws around the world, according to a new paper published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Authored by more than 20 leading public health researchers, including one from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and another from the United Nations, the paper lays out “a large body of evidence” linking multiple childhood diseases to synthetic chemicals and recommends a series of aggressive actions to try to better protect children. Continue reading...
01/08/2025 - 14:38
A new study finds that one of the hottest periods in Earth's history may have driven lampreys apart -- genetically speaking. The work could have implications for how aquatic species respond to our current changing climate.
01/08/2025 - 09:59
Blazes devastate affluent Pacific Palisades with more than 30,000 people under evacuation orders California wildfires – latest updates Fast-moving wildfires raging through Los Angeles have left Hollywood movie actors and reality TV stars fleeing their hillside mansions, as wind-whipped blazes devastated affluent neighbourhoods along the coast. More than 30,000 people have been put under evacuation orders in LA, and a state of emergency has been declared as the infernos swept through the Pacific Palisades, a ritzy area near Malibu popular with celebrities. Continue reading...
01/08/2025 - 09:55
More than 70,000 ordered to evacuate as flames rip through coastal Pacific Palisades and other inland fires spread fast California wildfires – live updates Fast-moving wildfires tore through several neighborhoods of Los Angeles, killing at least two people and incinerating more than 1,000 buildings in the western megalopolis. The disaster began on Tuesday afternoon, when a powerful windstorm fanned the flames of a fire in the scenic Pacific Palisades neighborhood, quickly forcing thousands to flee. Continue reading...
01/08/2025 - 09:31
CPS says there is not enough evidence to proceed against Greenpeace activists who blockaded firm’s London office Criminal charges have been dropped against dozens of people who staged a protest against plastic pollution outside the headquarters of Unilever. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided not to proceed against 34 individuals days before their trial was due to start. Continue reading...
01/08/2025 - 09:00
There are significant health benefits to trying new things, whatever the activity – and there is always more to learn There is a paradox to being 20 metres under the ocean. It is a place of calm and wonderment. I am immersed in a foreign world, with a new watery sky above me. There is a sense of serenity, blissful peace as countless colourful fish glide past. Only the tranquillity is deceiving. As a novice diver, my mind ticks over in hyperdrive. All that stands between me and an agonising fate is the tank of oxygen on my back (and, hopefully, the dive guide’s spare air). Continue reading...
01/08/2025 - 09:00
Feeding birds from flat surfaces such as tables could be contributing to spread of finch trichomonosis, says charity The RSPB has withdrawn flat bird feeders from sale on its website amid warnings they could be spreading deadly diseases to finches. The charity has said feeding birds from flat surfaces such as tables could be contributing to the spread of illnesses such as finch trichomonosis, which has been blamed for the plummeting greenfinch population. Continue reading...
01/08/2025 - 09:00
Exclusive: England and Wales proposals expected to follow Scottish consultation amid fears British farmers are being undercut Ministers may lift a ban introduced during the BSE crisis on the use of animal remains in feed for farmed chickens and pigs over fears that foreign producers are undercutting British farmers. A consultation on permitting the use of processed animal protein (PAP) from poultry, pigs and insects has opened in Scotland, and it is understood that proposals will be made for England and Wales in the coming months. Continue reading...
01/08/2025 - 08:41
Lawsuit challenges the federal government’s December 2024 decision to add restrictions to offer of drilling leases The US state of Alaska has sued the Biden administration for what it calls violations of a congressional directive to allow oil and gas development in a portion of the federal Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The federal lawsuit in the US district court in Alaska filed on Monday challenges the federal government’s December 2024 decision to add restrictions to an offer of oil and gas drilling leases in an area known as the coastal plain. Continue reading...
01/08/2025 - 07:17
Bulk of funds for electric vehicle firm relate to government’s plug-in car grant, analysis finds Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company has received almost £200m in grants from the UK government since 2016, according to analysis. Tesla, which is run by the tech billionaire who has become increasingly vocal about the UK government, has received £191m from Westminster through grants, according to Tussell, which analyses public contract data. Continue reading...